Poppystamps: I Love You Deerly

I'm on the Poppystamps blog today with these charming Whittle Forest Reindeer!

These sweet deer come from the Whittle Forest Reindeer Kit which includes all the stamps and dies that you see plus three more reindeer from a sideview (including a fawn) and even more "deer" stamps!  They were part of the fall release at Poppystamps so my first card used a simple hill and trees.  But aren't these just perfect for Christmas??!!  Snowflakes, maybe a red nose - - my creative wheels are turning!

Be sure to check out the Poppystamps blog for more pictures and details.

SUPPLY LIST

Dies: Poppystamps Whittle Forest Reindeer Kit (includes the stamps)

Paper: Memory Box Cardstock Paper Pads in Earth Neutral, Lush Green and Fresh Aqua; Patterned Paper from Madras Plaid Coral and Green, Woodsy Plaid; Open Studio Watercolor Paper

Freshly Made Sketches: So Thankful

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Narelle and here’s what I did with it!

 

I'm still making cards with my right arm in a cast. I'm discovering I can do it with a lot of planning. I used to try something, not like the die, try something else, not like the color, try again, not like the stamp but every step is hard with the dominant arm in a cast and that includes the die cuts. So now I carefully plan and do it once! The old Big Shot that I have is really a two-handed affair so my poor husband wakes up each morning and wanders into the craft room and asks what he needs to cut! (I'm a very early bird, he is not, so I have my cards planned before he's up.)  The other thing that is impossible is fine detail in the die cuts - notice everything on this card is chunky.

This card started with the leaf by Simon Says. I though it had a nice solid look that would stand in well for the rectangle on the sketch. Then I went digging for a big round flower and found this older daisy from My Favorite Things. I did it in corals and golds so I could add it to my Thanksgiving stash.

So my typing is one-handed and there's already way too many words in this post!  I hope to see you playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Penny Black Wagonful

Dies: My Favorite Things Gerbera Daisy, Simon Says Layered Rose Leaves, Pink and Main Stitched Rounded Rectangles (background), Altenew Featured Sentiments (sentiment)

Paper: Stampin' Up Calypso Coral and Grapefruit Grove, Taylored Expressions Peapod and Granny Apple Green, Concord & 9th Neutral Foils Paper Pack

Other: Studio Katio Gold Foil Pearls

Freshly Made Sketches: You've Been Boozed

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Karren and here’s what I did with it!

 

I have two sons in their 20s so how perfect is this set?!!  It's an older set from Trinity Stamps that I picked up after last Halloween and it may be my go-to set for them over the next few years!

I am trying to do this with a broken wrist and a broken ankle (details on last post). Ugh. It's been two weeks. I just got a full-cast on the arm which is helping with the pain so I thought I'd try cardmaking (I needed time in my happy place!)  I already had the pieces for this one cut out and I was hoping my casted right arm could still use tweezers to pick up the pieces and adhere them. Turns out the arm's not even up to tweezers yet but I took it slowly with my completely incompetent left hand and I have a finished card!

I also can only type one-handed so that's all the words for today!!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Trinity Stamps Trick or Drink

Dies: Trinity Stamps Creepy Cocktails, Memory Box Wrapped Stitch Rectangles

Paper: Stampin' Up Parakeet Party and dsp

Other: Taylored Expressions Tangled Web embossing folder, Pretty Pink Posh gems

TGIF and 52CCT: Happy Holidays

My card is using the fabulous Stampin' Up Decorated Pine dies with inspiration from the colors at TGIF Challenges and the sketch at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown. 

The idea of this card started with the sketch at 52 Christmas Card Throwdown. My original idea was a sparkly background and the angled lines were going to be silver cord with ornaments hung from it. Then as the card progressed, I realized I was using new Stampin' Up In Colors. At that point I hadn't used all of them because the ornaments were hanging from cord, not a pine branch (so no green) and I had only used Orchid Oasis (not the darker Starry Sky). But I remembered that the TGIF Challenge was to use them all and I realized that I wanted to try the challenge. It's a lot of colors for me all at once so was definitely a challenge.

The card and all of this post to this point was done before yesterday otherwise it wouldn't be done  at all because I'm typing this part with my left hand due to a broken right wrist. Just a fluke of a trip and fall at the office. It wasn't even that I tried to catch myself like they tell you not to do because you might break something; it was just where I tripped. Just bad luck. I won't see the specialist until next week after the swelling goes down but I'm hoping that my fingers will be free in the final cast they put on because I'm going to have to have to have something to do like cardmaking to relieve the boredom of recovering from the other part of the fall...the clumsy part...I broke my right ankle too.  I was literally walking from the printer to my office, rounded the corner, stepped wrong, and went down. I was even in flats, not heels. I so wish I could say it was something more glamorous like a daring mountain hike that went wrong...but no...I was printing a budget spreadsheet.  Anyway, the blog will be dark for a while. I'm hoping for a couple weeks, not a couple of months!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Brightest Glow

Dies: Stampin' Up Decorated Pine

Paper: Stampin' Up 2022-24 In Color Glimmer Paper (the Orchid Oasis piece), cardstock in Starry Sky, Parakeet Party, Tahitian Tide, Sweet Sorbet

Other: Stampin' Up Softly Falling Embossing Folder (ret)

Freshly Made Sketches: Season's Greetings

It's time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Today we have a sketch by Jen Brum and here’s what I did with it!

 

I LOVE the Festive Foils by Stampin' Up so when I decided to add a tree to the two background rectangles - making a total of three areas to use paper - I knew I needed to use the three patterns in the Festive Foils pack! With the detail in each foiled paper, I didn't think it needed much more.  Plus these are the inner portions of the tree dies from Spruced Up Outlines and I still have the outlines for a future card. Win..win!!

I did adhere a piece of cardstock behind each of the elements - the rectangles, trees and stars. It gave it a bit more dimension. Then I popped the smaller tree with dimensional adhesive. You can see it a bit better in the first photo.

I hope to see you playing along with us at Freshly Made Sketches!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Stampin' Up Brightest Glow

Dies: Stampin' Up Spruced Up Outlines

Paper: Stampin' Up Festive Foils, Soft Succulent Cardstock

The Card Concept: Wishes Come True

We're back!!  Our summer break is over and it is time for more inspiration at The Card Concept!!  This challenge is Change of Seasons and includes a fabulous bold butterfly.

Although I did not follow the theme - I was totally inspired by the inspiration photo. I'm just not sure it's obvious (other than I used butterflies). First, I was drawn to the beautiful detailed butterfly. Then as I was searching my patterned papers for something with the indicated colors, I saw this scrap that had the same misty and muted look as the photo. In the photo, I love the contrast between the crisp, clean butterfly and that subtle background so I went that direction. Then I needed a little more accent on each butterfly and as I looked at the photo, I saw there were just pops of color in what otherwise would be a fairly basically colored butterfly - so I added some pops of color matching my background!!  I really was inspired by the photo!

So now what we're back, play along with us!  Inspiration can come in many forms (as you could tell by my long description of my card). You can use the photo, the colors, the theme - or any combination of the above. No matter what you use, there is inspiration here - enjoy it!!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Poppystamps Diamond Sentiments

Dies: Poppystamps Stained Glass Butterfly Collage

Paper: unknown scraps, Stampin' Up Daffodil Delight

Other: Various Gumdrops from Your Next Stamp

Just Add Ink: Mountains are Calling

 I recently purchased some stamps and dies from Erin Lee Creative that I knew would be used often given my love of the mountains of Colorado. Then the current challenge at Just Add Ink was to Just Add...Masculine so it was a good chance to use them before they disappeared into my not-yet-used stash.

I pulled out some sunshine colors and a blue. For the water, I added a hint of sparkle. Then I used watercolor paper to get some texture on the snowfields. I love the set of sentiments that are mountainish.  I've used two on front, then on the inside I just used "love you."

This is going to my oldest son. At almost 27, he has re-discovered his love for the outdoors. In his younger days, we had him in the mountains all the time. At that point, his schools were on year-round schedule which we loved because the long breaks came in every season - so we were able to escape to the mountains winter, spring, summer and fall.  But then his teenage years came. His friends didn't go so he didn't go.  Plus he's a gamer and internet connections in a campsite were non-existent!!  He now lives in Fort Collins, Colorado which is nestled right up against the mountains and he refreshes by hiking multiple times a week.  He's even talking about fixing up a bed in the back of his Subaru to do easy overnighters!

Over the three-day Labor Day weekend, I had intended to make cards morning, noon, and night but instead I ended up obsessing over a complete refresh of my craft room. I'm not entirely certain why it needed to be done - except that I might like organizing stuff almost as much as I like using that stuff. The only real task that I had to do was to thoroughly clean the floors. Much of my storage is heavy and low to the ground (Elfa drawer systems) and it was scary how much dust and scraps (and stray bling!) had accumulated under the drawers. But I got started and I just kept going.  I had to show you one thing. On my last post, I had commented on how much different cardstock I had. I've always kept rings with samples, but in my frenzy this weekend, I drilled holes in my wooden cart, hung little S hooks and check it out. Rings of swatches from each company! This makes my organized soul shout in joy!!

SUPPLY LIST

Stamps: Erin Lee Creative Go See Do

Dies: Erin Lee Creative Circle Mountain River, Trinity Stamps Modern Embossed Rectangles, Lil' Inkers Stitched Woodgrain

Paper: Stampin' Up Gray Granite, Balmy Blue, Daffodil Delight, and Mango Melody, watercolor paper (for the snow fields)

Ink: Stampin' Up Gray Granite